Head swinging mechanism for a continuous miner



March 18, 1958 J. R. slBLl-:Y 2,326,923

HEAD swINGING MECHANISM FQR A CONTINUOUS MINER original Filed Juiy"5. 1949 :s sheets-sheet 1- J. R. sLBLEY March 18, 1958 HEAD SWINGING. MECHANISM FOR A CON'LINUOUS MINER Original Filed July 5, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 wv www D JatzRSilcy e :ese :e .Je e j@ e Sm m.. h`

March 18, 1958 J. R. slBLEY 2,826,923

' HEAD swINGING MECHANISM FCR .A .CONTINUOUS MINER original Filed July 5. v1949 3 sheets-sheet s [lll/Ill @Wwf 2,826,923 Patented Mar. 18, 1958 fie HEAD swiNGING Mncrnuvrsivrv Fon A Y CONTINUOUS MINER Original application July 5, 1949, SerialNo. 102,996. and this application July 15', 1953, Serial No.

4v Claims.l (Cl. 74-95) This invention relates to a power operated mechanism for turning a support and'vmore particularly to a swinging mechanism for thev disintegrating head of a continuous miner.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved support swinging mechanism. ,Another object is to provide an improved power operated mechanismV for adjusting the disintegrating head. of a continuous miner into different lateral positions. Yet another object is to provide an improved tluid cylinder and piston mechanism for effecting rotation of a member to be rotated and embodying an improved cylinder arrangement resulting in extreme compactness. A further object is to provide improved chain and'roller connections between. theV reciprocablefcylinders of the cylinder and piston mechanism. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 102,996, iiled July 5, 1949, now matured into Patent No. 2,798,713, dated July 9, 1957.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustration one form which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a mining apparatus in which a preferred embodiment of the improved head swinging mechanism is incorporated.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in longitudinal vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing details of the swing cylinders.

Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged detail cross sectional views taken respectively on lines 5 5 ad 6 6 of Fig. 4.

The mining apparatus or so-called continuous miner in which the invention is embodied is fully disclosed in myapplication, Serial No. 102,996 above referred to and generally comprises a mobile base 1 having a frame 2 which has swivelled thereon at 3, to swing about an upright axis, a horizontal Supporting frame or turntable 4. This swivelled frame or turntable has a horizontal portion 5 projecting forwardly in advance of the base 1, and guided on this horizontal frame portion for movement rectilinearly relative thereto in a radial direction relative to the swivel axis is a sliding frame or support 6 on which a swingable frame or bar structure 7 is pivotally mounted on a horizontal transverse axis to swing in vertical planes with respect thereto and to swing horizontally therewith relative to the base. The swingable frame structure 7 carries a vein-attacking and disintegrating mechanism 8 for detaching and disintegrating the mineral in vertical segments from a solid mine vein. Arranged on the base frame substantially coaxially with the turntable is a hopper 9 and the base frame has a circular portion 10 on which an annular portion il ofthe swivelled supporting frame `or turntable is rotatably mounted, and theportions 10 and 11 at least partially surround the hopper. A front loading conveyor 12 carried by `the sliding frame 6 serves to convey the disintegrated mineral discharged from the attacking and disintegrating mechanism rearwardy to the hopper 9. Mounted on the base frame is a rear discharge conveyor i3 having its front receiving end extending downwardly within the hopper, for conveying the disintegrated mineral rearwardly of the apparatus. Motors 14 carried by the swivelled supporting frame or turntable at the opposite sides of the hopper serve to drive the vein-attacking and disintegrating mechanism 8, and these motors also drive the front e conveyor lil. Motors 1S drive the traction devices of the base to effect propulsion and steering of the apparatus.

The improved means for turning the swivelled supporting frame or turntable 4 on its swivel mounting relative to the base comprises parallel, double acting, horizontal hydraulic cylinders 20 arranged transversely of the base frame rearwardly of the turntable mounting, and the cylinders are secured together and contain stavtionarypistons 21 relative to which the cylinders are reciprocable. The pistons have oppositely extending piston rods 22 extending outwardly through the packed heads 23 of the cylinders, and rigidly secured at 24 to upright side portions 25 of the base frame. The piston rods are made hollow and have iluid pipes 26 and 27 respectively connected thereto for supplying liquid under pressure through the piston rods and through ports 28 at the opposite sides of the pistons to the opposite ends of the cylinders. Arranged vertically between the cylinders and spaced equidistantly from the longitudinal center of the cylinders are non-rotating shafts 29 which support bearings 30 on which horizontal rollers 31 are journaled. Arranged symmetrically at opposite sides of the base frame and journaled on vertical axes on horizontal portions 32 of the frame are pairs of rollers 33 and 34. Passing around the sets of rollers 31, 33 and 34, at opposite sides of the base, are chain sections 35 (Fig. 3), each being yieldably connected at one end by springs 36 to the sides of the base. These springs are each arranged within the sleevelike housings 37 secured to the base frame and having end caps 3S against which the inner ends of the springs react. Secured to the chain sections are plungers 39 having adjustable outer heads 40 engaging the outer ends of the springs. The heads are desirably in the form of nuts threaded on the plunger bodies. The springs 36 serve to maintain the chain sections under tension. The opposite ends of the chain sections are secured at 41 to an abutment member 42, in turn secured as by screws within a slot 43 at the central portion of the swingable supporting frame or turntable 4.

When liquid under pressure is supplied to one end or the other of the cylinders, the latter are moved axially relative to the pistons to reduce the effective length of one chain section while increasing the effective length of the other, thereby causing the swingable supporting frame or turntable 4 to be turned in one direction or the Vother on its swivel mounting. When liquid is trapped within the opposite ends of the cylinders at opposite sides of the pistons, the swivelled supporting frame or turntable is locked in adjusted position. The means for supplying liquid under pressure to the fluid pipes 26' and 27 connected to the piston rods for supplying fluid under pressure to the cylinders and the control valve means therefore are fully disclosed in the application Serial No. 102,996 above referred to and since they do not per se enter into the present invention further description thereof is herein deemed unnecesary.

As a result of this invention an improved power operated mechanism is provided for swinging a support such as a distintegrating head horizontally about an upright pivot, and by the provision of the improved cylinder and piston arrangement and the associated connections, eX- treme compactness is attained. The swinging mechanism is not only compact but is also relativelysimple and rugged in design. These and other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in the application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form is shown for purposes of illustration andthat the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a support, a member to bc turned rotatably mounted on said support, said member having a rearwardly facing curved surface struck on a radius extending from the axis of rotation of said member, and means for turning said member comprising parallel rods extending transversely of said support rearwardly of said member, pistons secured to said rods midway between the ends thereof, reciprocable cylinders containing said pistons and connected for movement in unison along said rods, guide sheaves journaled on said reciprocable cylinders intermediate the outer sides of the latter, guide sheaves journaled on said support near the sides thereof close to the sides of said member to be turned, and 5 exible elements attached at one end to said member to be turned and connected to the sides of said support` at their` opposite ends, said flexible elements extending in opposite directions along said curved surface with their intermediate portions passing in opposite loops about said guide sheaves with parallel portions of said flexible elements extending in parallelism with said cylinders whereby when said cylinders are moved in one direction the looped portions of one of said flexible elements are dellected to cause turning of said member.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein additional guide sheaves are journaled on said support for wardly of the rearmost portion of said member to be turned and in adjacency to said first mentioned guide sheaves for directing said flexible elements closely in contact with said curved surface.

3. A combination as set forth inclaim l `wherein a single abutment member is attached to said member to be turned centrally of said curved surface and to which said first mentioned ends of said flexible elements are connected,

4. A combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein said other ends of said flexible elements are yieldingly attached to the sides of said support at points in adjacency to the points of connection of one of said rods with the sides of said support.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 497,706 Chase May 16, 1893 1,536,413 Thrift May 5, 1925 2,269,781 Osgood Jan. 13, 1942 2,508,564 Cardwell May 23, 1950 2,523,407 Williamson Sept. 26, 1950 2,559,733 Pitman July 10, 1951 

